List of cycling records facts for kids

Cycling is an amazing sport where people push their limits to go faster and farther than anyone else! These incredible achievements are called cycling records. They are officially checked and approved by groups like the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), Guinness World Records, and other sports organizations.

Many records are set under special conditions. For example, some cyclists ride behind a vehicle (this is called "motor-paced") to block the wind. Others use super aerodynamic bikes, like recumbent bicycles, which let the rider lie back and cut through the air easily. Because there are so many different types of bikes and ways to ride, there isn't just one "fastest cyclist" record. However, the hour record is one of the most famous and respected because it has a long history and clear rules.

Fastest Speeds on a Bicycle

People have reached incredible speeds on bicycles! Here are some of the fastest records.

Outdoor Land Speed Records

These records are for how fast someone has ridden a bicycle outdoors.

Indoor Treadmill Speed Record

This record was set indoors on a special setup.

Unpaced Speed Records

The International Human Powered Vehicle Association (IHPVA) checks records for bikes that don't have any help from a motor vehicle. This means the cyclist is riding directly against the wind.

The fastest speed recorded by a rider on a 200-meter flying start (meaning they get a running start) is 89.58 mph (144.17 km/h). This was set by Todd Reichert in 2016 on a special streamlined recumbent bicycle called the ETA.

For women, the record is 126.52 km/h (78.62 mph), set by Ilona Peltier of France in 2019. She also used a streamlined recumbent bike.

Motor-Paced Speed Records

Motor pacing is when a cyclist rides very close behind a special vehicle, like a car or motorbike, that has a shield on the back. This shield blocks the wind, allowing the cyclist to go much faster.

This idea started in 1899 with Charles "Mile-a-Minute Murphy". He rode behind a train, reaching 96 km/h (60 mph)!

Over the years, many cyclists have tried to break this record:

• In 1941, Alfred Letourneur reached 175 km/h (109 mph) behind a special midget race car on a Los Angeles freeway.
• The first person to go over 200 km/h was Frenchman Jose Meiffret in 1962, reaching 204 km/h (127 mph) behind a Mercedes-Benz car.
• Fred Rompelberg held the record for a long time, reaching 268.831 km/h (167.044 mph) in 1995 behind a dragster.
• The current overall world record is held by Denise Mueller-Korenek. In 2018, she rode a special KHS bike to an incredible speed of 296.009 km/h (183.931 mph) behind a converted rail dragster!

Downhill Speed Records

These records are all about going as fast as possible down a steep slope.

French cyclist Eric Barone has set many downhill records on snow. In 2017, he reached 227.72 km/h (141.50 mph) on a special prototype bike.

For bikes you can buy in a store (not prototypes), the record holder is Markus Stöckl from Austria. In 2007, he set a record of 210 km/h (130 mph) on a mountain bike down a ski slope in Chile.

Besides snow, some brave cyclists have even ridden down volcanoes! In 2002, Eric Barone reached 172 km/h (107 mph) on a prototype bike down the Cerro Negro volcano in Nicaragua. Markus Stöckl holds the record for a regular bike on a volcano, reaching 167.6 km/h (104.1 mph) in Chile in 2017.

Hour Records

The hour record is about how far a cyclist can ride in exactly one hour. These attempts usually happen in a velodrome (a special indoor track) where the air is thinner, which helps with speed.

There are different types of hour records:

• UCI Hour Records: These are for standard upright bicycles that meet strict rules set by the Union Cycliste Internationale.
  • Men's record: Filippo Ganna (Italy), 2022, 56.792 kilometres (35.289 mi).
  • Women's record: Vittoria Bussi (Italy), 2023, 50.267 kilometres (31.234 mi).
• Human-Powered Vehicle (HPV) Records: These are for special bikes, often fully covered and streamlined recumbent bicycles. These bikes are designed to be super aerodynamic.
  • The record for a streamlined recumbent bike is 91.556 km (56.890 mi) in one hour, set by Francesco Russo of Switzerland in 2011.
• Non-Streamlined Recumbent Bicycle Records: These are for recumbent bikes that are open, without the full aerodynamic shell.
  • The record is 56.696 km (35.229 mi), set by Aurelien Bonneteau of France in 2014.

24 Hours Records

These records are for the longest distance cycled in a full day (24 hours). Many things can affect these records, like special bikes, team relays, or even riding behind trucks for aerodynamic help.

Men's Road Records

These records are set on regular roads.

• Christoph Strasser set the current road record at 637.66 miles (1,026.21 km) in Austria in 2021.

Women's Road Records

• Amanda Coker set a new road record at 512.506 miles (824.798 km) in 2021, becoming the first woman to ride over 500 miles in 24 hours!

Men's Track Records

These records are set on a track, like a velodrome.

• Ralph Diseviscourt set the outdoor track record at 568.8 miles (915.4 km) in Luxembourg in 2020.
• Christoph Strasser set the indoor track record at 585.252 miles (941.872 km) in Switzerland in 2017.

Women's Track Records

• Elena Novikova (Ukraine) set the indoor track record at 485.687 miles (782 km) in Italy in 2017.
• Seana Hogan holds the outdoor track record at 445.78 miles (717 km) in the United States in 2012.

Long-Distance Records

These records cover very long journeys across countries.

Pembroke to Great Yarmouth

This record is for riding across the entire width of Wales and England, from Pembroke in the west to Great Yarmouth in the east. The traditional route is about 349 miles (562 km).

• Upright bicycle: Nick Clarke, 2018, 15 hours 23 minutes 59 seconds.
• Women's record: Maria Bloom, 2004, 16 hours 51 minutes 56 seconds.
• Men's Tandem bicycle Record: Tim Bayley & Adam Broyad, 2019, 14 hours 15 minutes 20 seconds.

Land's End to John O'Groats

This is a famous journey covering the entire length of Great Britain, from Land's End in the southwest to John O'Groats in the northeast. The traditional route is about 874 miles (1,407 km).

• Upright bicycle: Michael Broadwith, 2018, 43 hours 25 minutes 13 seconds.
• Faired recumbent bicycle: Andy Wilkinson, 1996, 41 hours 4 minutes 22 seconds.
• Women's record: Christina Mackenzie, 2021, 51 hours 5 minutes 5 seconds.
• Men's Tandem Record: D Irvine & C Mitchell, 2015, 45 hours 11 minutes 0 seconds.

Return Journey: Land's End to John O'Groats and Back

This record involves riding from one end of Great Britain to the other and then back again! The distance is about 1,748 miles (2,813 km).

• In 2017, James MacDonald set a Guinness World Record for this journey, completing 1,725 miles (2,776 km) in 5 days, 18 hours, and 3 minutes.
• In 2023, Louise Harris set a new women's record, completing the journey in 10 days and 5 hours.

One Thousand Miles

This record is for how fast someone can cycle 1,000 miles.

• Men's record: Gethin Butler, 2001, 55 hours 59 minutes 0 seconds.
• Women's record: Lynne Taylor, 2001, 64 hours and 38 minutes.

Ultra Marathon Races

The Race Across America is a super long bicycle race across the United States.

• Solo man: Christoph Strasser, 2014, averaged 16.42 mph (26.43 km/h) over 3,020 miles (4,860 km) in 7 days, 15 hours, and 56 minutes.
• Solo woman: Seana Hogan, 1995, averaged 13.23 mph (21.29 km/h) over 2,912 miles (4,686 km) in 9 days, 4 hours, 2 minutes.

Seven Days

This record is for the total distance cycled in one week.

• Bruce Berkeley rode 3,333.3 kilometres (2,071.2 miles) between January 6 and 12, 2020.

One Month

This record tracks the total distance cycled in a single month.

• WUCA (World UltraCycling Association) record holder: Amanda Coker rode 8,012.4 miles (12,894.7 km) in April 2017.
• Guinness World Record holder: Janet Davison rode 4,010 miles (6,450 km) between July and August 2015.
• WUCA male record holder: Steven Abraham rode 7,104.3 miles (11,433.3 km) between September and October 2016.
• Guinness World Record holder: Mark Beaumont rode 7,031 miles (11,315 km) in July 2017.

100,000 Miles

This record is for the fastest time to cycle 100,000 miles (about 160,934 km).

• On July 11, 2017, 24-year-old Amanda Coker set a new record, completing 100,000 miles in just 423 days! This beat the previous record by 77 days.

World Endurance Record for a Calendar Year

This record is for the longest distance cycled in one full year (365 days).

Men's Record

This record has been officially set nine times throughout history. Early records were checked using sealed odometers and cards signed by trusted people like police officers. Today, GPS recording and live tracking devices are used.

In 2015, Kurt Searvogel from the United States broke the long-standing record set by Tommy Godwin in 1939. Searvogel rode 76,076 miles (122,432 km) in his year-long attempt.

World Endurance Record for a Single Year (Men)

Year	Record holder	Country	Distance
1911	Marcel Planes	France	34,366 miles (55,307 km)
1939	Tommy Godwin	Great Britain	75,065 miles (120,805 km)
2015	Kurt Searvogel	United States	76,076 miles (122,432 km)
2017	Amanda Coker	United States	86,537 miles (139,268 km)

Women's Record

• In 1938, Billie Dovey (England) set a record of 29,899.4 miles (48,118.4 km).
• In 2016, Kajsa Tylen broke this record, and Guinness World Records set a new target of over 50,000 km for women. Tylen cycled 52,025 kilometres (32,327 mi).
• On April 5, 2017, Amanda Coker broke the women's record, and even the overall record (men's and women's combined), by riding 76,233.9 miles (122,686.6 km)! She finished her year with an amazing 86,537 miles (139,268 km).

Wheelie Records

A wheelie is when you ride a bicycle only on its back wheel.

• The longest bicycle wheelie in one hour is 30.95 km (19.23 mi), set by Manuel Scheidegger (Switzerland) in 2020.
• Kurt Osburn (known as Wheelie King) holds the Guinness World Record for the Longest Bicycle Wheelie. In 1998, he rode a wheelie for 11 hours!
• From April to June 1999, Kurt rode 2,839.6 miles (about 4,570 km) on one wheel from Hollywood to Orlando, becoming the first person to ride a bicycle wheelie across the United States.

Around the World Records

Riding a bicycle around the world is an incredible challenge! To get a Guinness World Record for this, you have to meet certain requirements, like covering a specific distance and passing through opposite points on Earth.

• Jenny Graham cycled unsupported (meaning no support team) around the world in 124 days.
• Mark Beaumont cycled with support around the world in 78 days, 14 hours, 40 minutes.
• Laura Massey-Pugh and Steven Massey rode a tandem (a bike for two people) unsupported around the world in 179 days, 12 hours & 25 minutes.
• Ed Pratt unicycled unsupported around the world in 3 years, 135 days!